Stackable box of synthetic material



Dec. 29, 1964 MAUSER 3,163,319

STACKABLE BOX 0F SYNTHETIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1 i iI":] F I I 8 I I I ,1 I I {H I\ 4 I I ')\5 z 6 2 I I l I Y I Dec. 29, 1964 A. MAUSER STACKABLE Box OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22, 1961 Dec. 29, 1964 A. MAUSER STACKABLE BOX OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 22, 1961 A. MAUSER STACKABLE BOX OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 22', 1961 Dec. 29, 1964 A. MAUSER 3,163,319

STACKABLE BOX 0F SYNTHETIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. 17

United States Patent STACKABLE BGX'GF SYNTHETIG MATERL-hli Aifons Mauser, Cologne-Ehrenfeld, Germany, assignor to Mauser Kommanditfieselischaft, Cologne-Ehrenfeltl, Germany Filed ept. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 139,914 Claims priority, application Germany Sept. 24, 1%9 8 Claims. (Cl. 22%9-97) This invention relates to a stackable storage box made of synthetic material having a front viewing and removal opening for the box contents wherein the box is provided with a handle which is formed at the upper end of the less than full height front walls and which hanfle is box-like in cross-section.

Boxes of the above described type are subjected to considerable mechanical stress. In the manufacture of the boxes the use of a great amount of material would be required for the necessarily substantial wall strength unless there is suitable reinforcement. Starting from the realization of this fact, it is suggested according to the present invention to provide for the strengthing of the box by having the two side walls extend adjacent the front opening as converging surfaces which are strengthened in this manner and also by providing additional strengthening means. These generally trapezium-shaped converging surface portions extend beyond the inclined box front wall and enclose the handle structure therebetween. In this case reinforcing means are also provided in the area of the side walls and, if desired, at the corners where the box rear wall connects to the side wall.

The suggestion or" having the reinforcing means for the side wall surfaces, which converge in the area of the viewing opening formed by surface portions which cover the edges is considered to be very suitable.

Another embodiment for strengthening the extending side wall surface is seen, according to the invention, where the reinforcing means for the side Wall extensions are formed by the trapezium surfaces to each of which the front wall is connected to said side walls in the area of the two corner connections additionally by means of diagonal walls which are adapted to the profile of the box opening and which extend across the corners of the box chamber on the inside of the box. Each of these two diagonal walls forms, in this case, together with the contiguous corner sections, a strengthening hollow profile which is suitably closed at t e top. 7

These two upper covers of the front and, if desired, also similar rear corner reinforcing hollow profiles, or their upper edges, can be slightly recessed relative to the upper box edge to serve simultaneously as stacking 'sup- The additional reinforcement of the side walls takes place, according to the invention, in that the wall thickness is formed extending vertically and being wedgeshaped in section.

In one embodiment transition portions which extend gradually from the thicker to the thinner part of the side walls are provided by slanted portions, and frieze po tions are thus formed to provide, for example, in the case of a longitudinal position, a good aesthetic cifect, as well as other advantages.

In this case it is understandable that the visible transitions or friezes are placed on the outer surfaces of the boxes so that the inner surface of the side wall may be plane. a

In cooperating with the usual formation of the box edges, lips or flanges, especially of the upper and lower edges, it is possible to provide additional vertical ribs von the'side walls as a further embodiment of the invention.

Patented Dec. 29, 1964 This provides a reinforcing frame with the inclusion of the upper and lower box edges, which frame is sufficient in itself, due to the deep ribs in direct connection with the container walls so that the box can take up loads completely when boxes are stacked on each other.

A further simplified embodiment of the box according to this invention consists in that the side walls beginning at the inner edge of the upper stacking surface extend .slantingly outwardly and downwardly, as this is required to make the bottom of the box a size to fit on the upper stacking surface and to fit within the vertical stacking edge or rim. The side wall is appropriately provided in this case with ribs which begin at the outer edge below the upper stacking surfaces and terminates at the lower end of the side wall.

The advantages associated with the suggestions according to the present invention are seen particularly inthat a storage viewing box is produced which is strong in its general structure while it is most economical in the amount of material used, and in wihch particularly the upper side wall ends which stand free due to the arrangement of the viewing opening are prevented from a lateral movement under load due to the rib effect of the converging extension surfaces together with reinforcing means without impairing the accessibility to the box contents. By the formation according to the invention and the strengthening of the side walls, considerable tool costs are saved as well as providing high strength in comparison to the customary forms of the boxes having continuous ribs or seams. This is based on the smooth or straight surface edges which maite possible a substantially simpler form of the tool.

It is therefore seen that it is an object of the present invention to provide light and strong stacking storage boxes of the type having a viewing and removal opening that may be made of inexpensive material using inexpensive molds.

Other and further objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference refer to similar parts in the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side View of a box with the invention, 7

FIGURE 2 is a composite view, the top half being a half plan view of FIGURE 1 and the bottom half being a view looking up at the bottom of the half shown at the top of this figure,

mouse 3 a a composite view, the left half being a front view of half of the box of FEGURE l viewedfrorn the left in FIGURE 1 and the right half being a rear View of the same half of the box from the right-hand side made in accordance 'in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 4 is a partial elevation with parts broken away, of a Variation of the box,

FIGURE 5 is a half plan View of the box of FIGURE 4 indicating the location of the box elements by dotted 7 4 showing the visible surfaces only, s 7 FIGURE 6 is a section of a corner of the box of FIG URE 4 taken on line 6+6 of FIGURE 4.,

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section of the box of FIGURE 4 taken on line 77 of FIGURE 5, V V I FEGURE 8 is a partial perspective view looking upwardly at the front end of the boxof FIGURE 4, I FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary section through the side" wall and bottom of a box,

FIGURE 10 is a and side View of the box t FIGURE 9.

3 FIGURES 11, 12 and 13 each show a section through the side walls of different embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment according to FIGURES 1 to 3,

. numeral 1 designates the bottom of the box provided with are further strengthened by the flanges 8 which cover the edges. The two surfaces 7 enclose between them the less than full height front wall 6 and the handle ledge 5. At its upper edges the box is provided with a stacking rim 9 which extends around three sides and has a handle extension 10 at the rear wall.

In the embodiment according to FIGURES 4 through 8, numeral 1 also designates the bottom of the storage box, which bottom merges at the front into the less than full height forwardly inclined front wall 6. The side walls 3 also extend here at the front terminal area into converging trapezium surfaces 7. The front wall 6 and the side walls 3 (compare for this particularly FIGURES 5, 5a and 6) in thearea of the two corner connections are interconnected additionally by a diagonal wall 11 at each corner, so that in the front box corners a closed hollow profile is produced which is covered at the top by horizontal cover surfaces 12. These triangular cover surfaces 12 merge at the corner next to the front opening into a slantingly inwardly directed, downwardly widening, bridging member 13 which, in turn, merges into the end of the horizontal covering 14 which merges laterally of itself into the projecting side Wall end inwardly and into a downwardly extending portion 5 to form a box-like handle at the upper end of the front wall 6 providing at 5 a downwardly directed gripping ledge. Ribs 15 are provided for reinforcing the handle cross-section and extend from Wall 6 to ledge 5. A recessed portion 16 in the ledge 5 of the handle serves to receive a contents tag.

Atthe top of the box, the triangular reinforcing corner structure, bonded by front wall 6, side wall extension 7 and diagonal wall '11, may be extended upwardly beyond the top stacking surface 18. This projection will be slight- 1y smaller than the opening at the bottom, through which 7 the mold part for forming this corner structure extends when the box is being molded. The mold is made slightly tapered in order to withdraw easily. It will be seen then, that the upstanding rim around surface 18 is no longer necessary as the upwardly extending ends 12 of the corner reinforcements will engage the open bottom of a superimposed box to hold the superimposed box in position. While not illustrated, similar corner reinforcements across the rear corners of the box may form similar columnar rigid structures which, being slightly tapered, may extend upwardly above the surface to form stacking lugs at the rear similar to those described above at the front of the box.

In the embodiment according to FIGURES 9 and 10,

Wall 17 is provided with an upper stacking 'rim 'l8 and-a lower base rim or support ledge 19. Starting fromv the base rim 19 and the floor or box bottom 27, a reinforced base 20 is provided in this embodiment, which base merges with a slanted step 21 into the wedge-shaped wall portion 22. This wall portion 22 terminates in its upper thicker portion in the slanted surface 23 which leads. into the wedge-shaped wall portion 24. Wall portion "24, in'turn, terminates with its thickest portion in the slanted transi tion surface 25 which leads to the upper wall portion 26 having the stacking rim 18. The outer limits of the wedge surfaces may be made straight or. curvilinear. The botstacking rim 18 and the lower base rim 19 so as to create a supporting rib frame.

FIGURE 11 shows an embodiment of the box Walls in which the upper wall portion 30 and the lower wall portion 31 have a closed wedge-shaped configuration. The upper wedge-shaped portion leads through a slanted surface 32 into the upper rim 18.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the box walls is shown in FIGURE 12, in which the two upper wall portions 33 and 34, which are made wedge-shaped, and the two wall portions 35 and 36 merge with each other at their thinnest portions. In the meeting area of the two central wall portions 36 and 33 the straight limit surface 37 may be suitably arranged.

The limit surface of the box walls, which may be seen in cross-section in FIGURE 12, makes for particularly good strength characteristics, while using the most favorable moment of inertia of cross-section. The basis for this is that the, material accumulations at the thicker portions in the wedge-shaped configuration of the surface parts are balanced out by the saving at the less thickly formed wall portions.

In the embodiments of the box walls according to FIG- URES 11 and 12, therefore, it is not necessary to provide vertical ribs so that a decrease in the tool costs, as well as a saving of material, is provided.

In the embodiment according to FIGURE 13, the slantingly downwardly extending side wall 38 is provided with a transition portion 39 to the upper stacking rim 1%. Appropriately the floor or box bottom 40 terminates in the support ledge 41. The Wedge-shaped lateral ribs 42 produce an additional strengthening of the side Wall which may thus be maintained smaller in its wall thickness. They increase the total carrying strength of the box in a vertical direction and complete the aesthetic effect of the box side view.

It will be noted that the resiliency of the material will be taken into account in proportioning the outside dimensions of the box bottoms and the dimensions of the inside of the stacking so a to provide the desired fit, slight springing of the box being desirable to provide a gripping action.

I claim:

l. A stack-able box of synthetic material comprising a bottom, two side walls, a rear wall and a front wall having side edges, said front wall being inclined outwardly from the bottom and terminating in a free edge located at a point approximately one-half the height of the box for providing a viewing and access opening at the front of the box when a plurality of similar boxes are arranged in a vertical stack, handle means extending downwardly from the free edge of said front wall and having side edges, each side wall having a generally trapezium-shaped portion viewed in side elevation extending beyond said front wall and enclosing therebetween said handle means, said trapezium-shaped portions defining in the zone of said opening an angle slightly inclined toward the longitudinal cenbox at an acute angle tothe side walls of the box and are within the box, which walls form together with the adjoining corner sections of the walls a hollow triangular column which is closed at the top.

1 3. The stackable box according to claim'l, in which "the, side walls have a multiple step-wedge shaped offset cross-sectional formation wherein the; transition points of the individual wedge/shaped wall sections present upwardly facing slanted surfaces.

4. The stackabie box according to claim 3, in which the outer side Wall surface at the base and the outer side Wall surface at the top are wedge-shaped with the apices of the wedges toward each other and provide with their thicker section the transition to the stacking rim and to the box bottom.

5. The stackable box according to claim 1, including a support ledge for the bottom, the side walls and the rear wall of the box being provided with vertical flange members which extend from the bottom supoprt ledge to the upper stacking rim and form, together with these, a reinforcing frame connected to the box side wall and cooperable therewith.

6. The stackable box according to claim 1, in which the side wall starting from the stacking rim extends slantingly downwardly to the box bottom to enable the placing of the box on the stacking 5 rim taper downwardly in a wedge-shaped to a point at the bottom.

8. The stackable box according to claim 7, in which the bottom supporting ledges terminate rearwardiy in one of said vertical ribs.

' References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS V D. 188,613 Gottsgen Aug. 16, 1960 1,590,911 Russell June 29, 1926 2,634,020 Bartholomew Apr. 7, 1953 V FOREIGN PATENTS 343,280 Switzerland Jan. 30, 1960 432,744 Great Britain Aug. 1, 1935 7. The stackable box according to claim 6, in which in the area of the slanted portion of the side Walls vertical ribs are provided which are wedge-shaped in side view and which starting from the outer limits of the stacking 

1. A STACKABLE BOX OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A BOTTOM, TWO SIDE WALLS, A REAR WALL AND A FRONT WALL HAVING SIDE EDGES, SAID FRONT WALL BEING INCLINED OUTWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM AND TERMINATING IN A FREE EDGE LOCATED AT A POINT APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF THE HEIGHT OF THE BOX FOR PROVIDING A VIEWING AND ACESS OPENING AT THE FRONT OF THE BOX WHEN A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR BOXES ARE ARRANGED IN A VERTICAL STACK, HANDLE MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE FREE EDGE OF SAID FRONT WALL AND HAVING SIDE EDGES, EACH SIDE WALL HAVING A GENERALLY TRAPEZIUM-SHAPED PORTION VIEWED IN SIDE ELEVATION EXTENDING BEYOND SAID FRONT WALL AND ENCLOSING THEREBETWEEN SAID HANDLING MEANS, SAID TRAPEZIUM-SHAPED PORTIONS DEFINING IN THE ZONE OF SAID OPENING AN ANGLE SLIGHTLY INCLINED TOWARD THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF THE BOX AND BEING JOINED TO THE SIDE EDGES OF THE FRONT WALL AND HANDLE MEANS, THE FREE EDGES OF SAID TRAPEZIUM-SHAPED PORTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH REINFORCING MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AT A RIGHT ANGLE THERETO FOR STABILIZING SUCH PORTIONS, AND MEANS ON THE TOP EDGES OF SAID SIDE AND REAR WALLS DEFINING A STACKING RIM FOR THE LATERAL GUIDANCE OF A SUPERPOSED SIMILAR BOX. 